story by Claire Vincent
“My family has always rodeoed, and from a young age I knew that was where my heart was. I have always loved the atmosphere.” Jayce Reeves is the 18 year old senior from Longville, Louisiana, who has grown up in the rodeo arena alongside his parents, Quintin and Janice Reeves, and siblings, Justin and Nichole. His dad, Quintin, rode horses all his life, but didn’t start competing until after high school. Nichole is the middle child of the three, and she has had a lot of success breakaway roping, goat tying, and team roping.
Jayce competes in calf roping and team roping. He heels for Mason Richard at the high school rodeos. This is the first year they have entered a rodeo as partners, but they have always practiced together. This team practices every week at the Folgeman’s arena in Moss Bluff, Louisiana. Nichole doesn’t enter rodeos anymore, but she is always happy to go spin some steers in the practice pen for Jayce and his friends. Jayce is very thankful for Mr. Trey and Ty Folgeman for all the help and coaching they have given him on horsemanship and team roping.
Kirby McBride is the cowboy that Jayce looks up to the most. Kirby has taught Jayce everything he knows about calf roping. He says, “Kirby is a good friend and a great mentor. I know I can always go to him for help when I need it.” Jayce’s favorite event is tie down roping because it more “precise” and he has the most fun doing it. There’s more to calf roping than just throwing your rope and tying three legs. You have to see your start, rope the neck, hold your slack, flank and tie the calf then get back on your horse for the six seconds to start. So many small, but very important factors go into making a perfect run. Jayce says he pictures the run he is about to make before he nods his head, and tells himself to “relax and be smooth.”
Taking after big sister Nichole, in 2017 Jayce made it to the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in goat tying. He made two great funs in the first and second round, and came back to the short go sitting 12th. In the short round he didn’t draw the best goat, and he says he didn’t finish his job the way he hoped. Jayce says, “I took my mistakes and learned from them to make myself a better competitor. God had a different plan for me that year.” He lives by the bible verse “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37. Rodeo is the most humbling sport. One day you may win it all, and the next you may find yourself in a slump, but rodeo is one of the only sports where cowboys and cowgirls find a way to praise God through the good and bad.
This is Jayce’s last year as a member of the Louisiana High school rodeo association, and he has enjoyed traveling all over Louisiana to different arenas and rodeos. After high school he plans to attend McNeese State University for instrumentation and to college rodeo. He hopes to make it to the college finals next year. Jayce is grateful his parents raised him in the rodeo world. He says, “I wouldn’t have made so many friends from all over the world, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for rodeo. I’m very blessed to have this life.”
